One Moment: A Harry Styles Fanfiction
by hsfanfiction14
Summary: When Hailey first meets Harry, his unpredictable behaviour sparks a love-hate relationship between the two but when they eventually fall in love, will tragedy tear them apart?
1. Chapter 1

**Here's the first chapter of my fanfic One Moment, enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Complicated**

_Present Day_

_Everything can change in a year. You can meet the person that you are destined to be with and lose them, twice. You can lose one of the most important people in your life, forever. You can do things that you never thought you would do, and find out things that you never wanted to know. For me, 2013 was a rollercoaster year but even after everything that happened between January and December, I still can't make myself regret meeting Harry. He changed my life, in more ways than one, and not always for the better. But I think we are meant to be together no matter what, no matter how much I have to sacrifice._

One year earlier, January 2013...

My arms burned and my back ached as I struggled to carry the two heavy cardboard boxes full of my belongings across the car park. The ground underfoot was frozen and slippery and a few flakes of snow floated down passed my eyelashes. The inhospitable English weather was not uncommon for January and I couldn't help wishing I had been born in a country with a hot climate. Moving house in the middle of winter was not one of my smartest ideas.

Stopping at the bottom of the first flight of stairs, I set one of the boxes down and took a deep breath. I would have to make two trips; climbing to the top with my arms feeling like they were about to fall off was not a challenge I was willing to undertake.

"Do you want a hand with that?" A voice said from behind me.

I turned around to see the owner of the voice striding over from a classic black Ford Capri parked nearby. The first thing I noticed about him as he neared me was his green eyes. Well, that and the wild, dark curls that sprung back into an unusually attractive mess after he ran his hand through them. He leant against the hand rail and raised an eyebrow when I didn't respond.

"Um...yeah...thanks." I said, reaching my hand around the box to offer to him. "I'm Hailey, I'm moving in to apartment 120B."

He smiled at the formal gesture but shook my hand anyway as I mentally cursed myself for acting like I was at a job interview.

"I'm Harry." He introduced, seemingly unfazed by my awkwardness.

"You live here to?" I asked, making a conscious effort to pull myself together.

Harry scoffed. "No. This place is a dump. I wouldn't live here if you paid me."

I met his gaze evenly, unable to keep the frown off my face.

"No offense." He added, but he was smirking.

"Well if you find somewhere better for £200 a week in Central London then let me know." I said with a smile so that he would know that I wasn't offended. "If this block is so bad, what are you doing here?"

"Some of my mates from uni live on the top floor. One of them is actually renting the apartment next door to yours, her name's Katie."

"You go to university?" I didn't mean it to come out sounding as rude as it did but he just didn't seem like the university type.

"Not anymore. I dropped out. What about you?"

"Oh...um...I'm still at school, in sixth form. I'll start university in September."

Harry's expression didn't change but there was curiosity in his eyes. "So why are you living on your own already?"

"It's complicated." Was the only thing I could think of to say.

He smiled. "I've heard that one before."

I was about to try and explain when I heard another set of footsteps crossing the car park. It was my brother, dragging another few boxes to the stairs.

"How far up is the..." He started, but then his eyes fell on Harry. "Who's this?"

I cringed inwardly at his attitude. "Harry, this is my brother Jamie. Jamie, this is Harry. He's visiting friends who live in the building."

Neither of them said anything. Instead they just stared at each other in a silent standoff and I was surprised when Jamie was the first one to back down, turning to me.

"Are you sure you remembered the keys?"

"Yes, for the hundredth time." I sighed. "You don't need to worry about me. I'll be fine on my own."

Harry smirked and I could tell he was amused by Jamie's protective behaviour.

"Sorry." I mouthed at him.

Harry just shrugged and stepped around me to go up the stairs.

"Hey." I called after him. "I thought you were helping me with these?"

He looked around at me over his shoulder, still smirking. "Looks like you've got someone else to help you. You don't need me."

I just shook my head, exasperated. What was it with men and their stupid displays of bravado?

Harry waited half way up the first set of stairs while I stayed at the bottom, trying to work out how to carry the other two boxes.

"Why don't you use the lift?" Harry suggested with a smirk as Jamie drew level with him, nodding to the other side of the stairwell.

"You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?" Jamie spat, grabbing on to the handrail as he tried to turn around on the narrow staircase.

I hid my smile as I slid the boxes along the floor to the lift. The last thing I need was for Jamie to think we were ganging up on him.

When the lift arrived, I held the door for a second, looking up at Harry. "Are you coming?"

"There's not enough room for all of us. I'll walk."

"See you around then?"

"Yeah." He said and there was a mischievous smile playing on his lips as he repeated my words. "See you around."

When the lift doors closed, I turned to Jamie with my hands on my hips. "Do you want me to end up a bitter old spinster with five hundred cats?"

Jamie looked confused. "No...why?"

"Because that is what's going to happen if you keep trying to intimidate anyone who so much as looks at me!"

Jamie laughed and his tense expression dissolved. "I'm your big brother, that's my job."

"I'll be eighteen in March, I can look after myself."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Yes." I pouted.

"Then where is your mobile?"

My hand automatically went to the back pocket of my jeans. It was empty.

Jamie was holding up my brand new iphone with a smug smile. "You left it on the back seat of my car."

I snatched it out of his hand, elbowing him in the ribs. "Whatever."

"Whatever." He mimicked and I couldn't hold back my laughter, however awful his impression was.

"But seriously Hailey, stay away from him."

"You don't get to tell me what to do, you're not Dad." I said, crossing my arms.

"I know." Jamie replied, his expression softening. "But I still need to know that you're going to be happy here."

"I will be." I said, although I wasn't convinced. "What do you have against Harry anyway?"

"He looks like trouble. With that attitude, all those tattoos..."

"You have a tattoo." I interrupted childishly.

"Yeah, one tattoo. I don't look like a drug dealer from Brixton."

I rolled my eyes. "Now you're being ridiculous and you know it."

The lift came to a half on the top floor and as the doors opened, Jamie held up his hands in submission.

"Come on, I don't want to fight. Just be careful. Promise?"

I nodded. "I promise."

Jamie smiled. "Then let's go and find your new home."

I couldn't keep the smile off my face as I led the way down the corridor. Although I never thought that I would be living on my own at seventeen, it was exciting. Just as I was sliding my key into the lock, the door to apartment 120A opened and a short blonde girl stepped out. When she noticed us standing outside she beamed.

"You must be my new neighbours!"

"Actually it's just me moving in." I said with a smile. "I'm Hailey and this is my brother Jamie."

"It's nice to meet you." She said returning my smile. "I'm Katie."

"Oh, you're Harry's friend?"

Her smile widened. "That's right, how do you know him?"

"I just met him downstairs. He was going to help me with the boxes but...well we could manage." I lied to avoid having to explain the situation.

Jamie looked amused and I nudged him.

"I'm sure he'll be here in a minute, he's just going to find the others." Katie said.

I didn't get a chance to ask who "the others" were because she ushered us into her apartment straight away.

"Come in, come in. Do you want a drink?"

I shook my head, putting the boxes down away from the door. "No thanks, I got a coffee on the way here."

"But I'll have a beer." Jamie added.

Katie's face lit up again. "I'll get that for you, why don't you go and sit down? Lucas, we've got guests!"

"What?" A voice shouted from the other room.

"I said, we've got guests." Katie called back.

There were footsteps in the hall and a boy of about the same age came into the kitchen.

"This is my brother Lucas." Katie explained before introducing us to him.

Lucas smiled at me. He had one of those faces that was instantly likeable. "We're twins, not that you could ever tell."

I smiled. It was true. The pair looked nothing alike; even their hair colour was different.

Lucas led us through to the living room with Katie following behind holding Jamie's beer. As I sat down on the plush sofa opposite the television, I tried to relax. It was a little surreal, especially since I was getting to know my new neighbours before I had even seen my apartment.

"So what made you decide to rent an apartment here?" Katie asked.

I looked towards Jamie and he gave me a nod of encouragement. I had managed to evade Harry's probing questions earlier but people were still going to ask so I decided to get the explanation out of the way and just hope that they wouldn't judge me.

"I was living with my parents before but I got kicked out. Jamie said I could move in with him but his apartment is too cramped already and his girlfriend is expecting a baby. There isn't any room for me." When I looked up to see that both Lucas and Katie were still smiling, I breathed a sigh of relief.

"What happened? Why did you get kicked out?" Lucas asked.

Jamie rolled his eyes. "She's going through a rebellious stage."

I swatted his arm as Katie and Lucas laughed. "I am not! I sort of walked out actually, it's a long story."

To my relief, neither of them pushed the matter and Katie changed the subject.

"Are you sure you don't want anything to drink?"

"Um...can I just have a glass of water?" It seemed rude to refuse again.

"I'll get it." Lucas jumped up.

I smiled to myself. It was a relief that both Lucas and Katie were so nice; one of my biggest worries had been that I would be stuck between two sets of nightmare neighbours.

"Do you want ice with it?" He called from the kitchen.

"No thanks. I'm still cold, it's freezing out."

"Oh, that reminds me. The heating system is really unreliable in this building." Katie told me. "I would leave it on all the time if I were you, otherwise your apartment will never warm up."

I made a mental note to switch it on the moment I got inside.

Lucas came back into the room and handed me the glass of water, sitting down beside me. "Do you need anything else?"

I bit my lip to hold back another smile. He reminded me of a puppy. "No thank you, I'm fine."

I heard the front door slam and new voices in the hallway. One of them was much louder than the rest, and I recognised it.

_Harry must be back with the others,_ I thought. _Whoever they might be._

"If you need anyone to show you around then let me know." Lucas said, distracting me. "Oh and watch out for the old woman who lives in the apartment at the end. She's completely crazy. The last time we had a party here she got angry because apparently there were too many people hanging around in the hallway so she chased some of them down the stairs with an umbrella."

I burst out laughing as an image of an elderly lady in a moth-bitten cardigan and pink slippers chasing a group of wild teenagers popped into my head.

"This other time, she attacked Harry's new car with a broom because he parked in "her space". And the funniest part was that she doesn't even have a car!"

My sides began to hurt as Lucas carried on. He had a real knack for storytelling and his eyes lit up with enthusiasm when he spoke, even though I was the only one paying any attention.

It was a few minutes before I noticed Harry standing in the doorway, leaning against the frame and watching us. I offered him a smile, which he didn't return.

"Don't you have a class to go to?" He snapped at Lucas instead.

Lucas looked confused. "It's Saturday."

"Whatever." Harry muttered.

I tried to catch his eye but he looked straight passed me.

"Move out of the way." Someone said behind him and he stepped aside so a couple holding hands could come into the room.

Katie introduced me to them and the boy gave me a smile, telling me that his name was Charlie, but the girl said nothing. She didn't even acknowledge me.

"That's Talia. Don't worry about her; she's not good with new people." Lucas whispered to me.

I nodded in response, but felt myself bristling inside. She didn't have to be rude, a simple "hello" would have been enough.

Charlie pulled a couple of chairs in from the kitchen for himself and Talia, and Harry shot him an irritated glance.

"What?" Charlie said.

Harry ignored him and his eyes fell on me. There was nowhere else to sit except on my other side on the sofa.

I felt myself tense up under his gaze. He was completely different to how he had been less than half an hour ago and I couldn't think of any reason for the drastic change.

Jamie stiffened too when Harry sat down beside me and I prayed that he wouldn't say anything to make the situation any more awkward. Luckily he didn't but I couldn't relax. Even when everyone else fell into normal conversation, I could feel the anger radiating off Harry and it was off-putting.

For a long time, I barely spoke. My mind was too preoccupied with Harry's sudden mood swing. For some reason, his irritation seemed to be aimed at Lucas and I but neither of us had spoken to him since I met him for the first time downstairs. What could I have done to upset him?

_You don't know him,_ I reminded myself. _Maybe he's always like this._

The only other possibility was that he was still annoyed about how Jamie had acted towards him and I felt anger rising up inside me as I thought about it. That wasn't my fault and there was no need for him to take it out on me.

"So you're doing your A-levels?" Charlie asked me, drawing me into the conversation.

I nodded. "I can't wait to get them over and done with so I can get a job with more hours. It's going to be really difficult to make enough money to pay the rent here."

"Seriously? I bet Daddy pays for everything." Harry cut in.

"Not anymore." I replied evenly, but in my head I was yelling at him. Who the hell did he think he was? What right did he have to start judging me and my family?

Jamie had a thunderous expression on his face, but luckily Lucas spoke before he could say anything.

"I had to worry about all that stuff when I was at school too." He defended me. "Our parents never paid for anything, did they Katie?"

Katie shook her head.

"We had three jobs between us." Lucas carried on, and while I was grateful to him for standing up for me, his comment only seemed to make Harry even more irritated. If looks could kill, Lucas would have been dead a long time ago.

Luckily the tension dissolved fairly quickly as other conversations started but I could sense that Katie was still looking at me. When I caught her eye she gave me a sympathetic smile.

I looked towards Harry who had moved over to the window, completely ignoring everyone, and then back at Katie. "What's the matter with him?" I asked her quietly.

"He's just moody sometimes." She replied.

"But he was fine earlier."

"That's just Harry, you'll get used to it. It's not personal." She laughed. "Well most of the time it's not."

I smiled, but what she had said didn't make me feel much better. Either I had done something to offend him or he just treated everyone that way.

"If you want any help with decorating I can come around. I've got loads of spare time." Lucas said, speaking only to me, but Harry overheard.

"Don't talk crap, yesterday you were complaining about how much work you have to do."

Lucas looked embarrassed, his eyes fixed on the floor, and I was finding it more and more difficult to stay calm. Whatever Harry's problem was, Lucas didn't deserve to be treated like that. All he had done was try to make me feel welcome.

"In that case, it was very sweet of him to offer." I said through gritted teeth.

"Why don't you just ask your brother to help you, since you can't fucking do anything by yourself." Harry shot back.

There was an awkward silence.

I set my glass down on the side table with a clash. There was no way I was going to sit around listening to him insult me when I hadn't done anything wrong. "You know what, we need to go. Come on Jamie."

Jamie got up too but all eyes were on me as we left the room. No one said anything to us or tried to stop us but just before as I was picking up the boxes in the hallway, I heard Katie speak.

"You could have at least tried to be civil."

I didn't wait to hear Harry's reply. It was bound to be something vindictive, littered with expletives.

We had barely crossed the threshold of my new apartment before Jamie exploded but I was lucky that he had waited that long really. It wasn't like him to think before he acted.

"If he thinks he can get away with talking to you like that..."

"Don't Jamie, just leave it. He's not worth it."

"I should have told him exactly what I think about..."

"No, you shouldn't have. I'm glad you didn't." I interrupted again. "I don't want to cause a scene before I've even moved in."

"I think it's a bit late for that."

I sighed. "You're right, I've probably ruined my chances of making any friends around here. But thank you for not saying anything, it would have made it worse."

Jamie didn't look convinced, but his eyes were sympathetic and he put his arm around me. "Don't over think it, he was just trying to pick a fight. I don't think they would take his side."

"Are you sure?"

Jamie nodded and then he grinned. "Anyway, Lucas seemed to like you..."

"Shut up, he was just being friendly." I said laughing, but the way he had been so eager to help me had made me think the same thing myself.

"You say I'm overprotective, but I wouldn't have a problem if you wanted to date someone like that." Jamie grinned.

The door bell rang, saving me from having to reply.

"I'm going to get the door, how about you actually do something useful and start unpacking?"

"I thought you wanted to be independent?" Jamie teased.

I ignored him as I walked back down the hall, passed the stacks of boxes, to open the door.

Katie was standing outside, her hand raised as if she was about to ring the bell. "Oh, Hailey, I'm sorry...I thought maybe...never mind. I just wanted to apologise for what happened..."

"You don't have to do that." I said. I was surprised that she came around at all. "It wasn't your fault."

Katie looked relieved and her expression brightened up again. "You're welcome to come around anytime, we're all really pleased that you're moving in here."

"Even Harry?" I raised an eyebrow.

Katie gave me an apologetic smile. "Don't take it personally, he's complicated. No one knows what's going on in his head most of the time."

_Great, _I thought to myself. Moving in to my own apartment was supposed to be an escape from all of the drama and mood swings I had faced back home. Instead I had to deal with some arrogant college drop-out who seemed to have some twisted vendetta against me.

"I'll talk to him." Katie added when I didn't reply. "And if you need anything, just come next door."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." I said, meaning it. The thought of being completely alone for the first time was terrifying and having people next door who cared enough to make sure I was okay was comforting.

As I closed the door and went to look around the apartment, I couldn't get Harry out of my mind. Yes his behaviour was irrational and rude, and getting involved with him was a bad idea, but something about him intrigued me. He was different, and definitely my type but whether or not I could handle his mood swings was another matter entirely.

_Maybe I'll never get a chance to find out, _I thought.

It looked like Harry would never speak to me again anyway.


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Note: Here's the next chapter of "One Moment" please vote and comment to let me know what you think! The song for this chapter is "Do It All Over Again" by Elyar Fox which has just been released! Go follow Elyar at ElyarFox on Twitter, he's amazing :D

**Chapter 2: The Party**

_January 2013..._

Over the next week I barely saw Harry, except from a distance and at Lucas' house but he never spoke to me. Then a further two days went by before I saw Harry again. I was busy, too busy for my liking, but that didn't stop his face from popping into my head more than once. I kept telling myself that I was only thinking about him because I was angry, but that was a lie. I wanted to see him again.

The door bell rang just after midday and it was a welcome distraction from the textbooks I was revising from. It had taken me the whole weekend to unpack and I was already behind, but I was indifferent. School didn't seem so important, after everything that had happened in the past few months.

I opened the door to see Harry standing outside, kicking his foot against my door frame. He was wearing a dark sweatshirt with the hood pulled up over his head but he pushed it back off his face when he saw me, running a hand through his hair.

I leant against the door frame, crossing my arms. "What are you doing here? I thought..."

"Do you want to go to a party?" He interrupted.

I stopped midsentence, taken aback. What was wrong with him? He had acted like I was some spoilt brat the other day and then suddenly he was inviting me to a party?

Harry raised an eyebrow grinning, his green eyes glinting.

"Who's party?" I asked finally.

"Charlie's. Apartment 105A."

"When?"

"Tonight, after eight."

For a moment I didn't say anything, searching his eyes for a sign that it was a set up but he looked innocent enough. "Fine."

His grin widened and he stepped a little closer to the door as if he was more certain now that I wouldn't slam the door in his face. "Want me to pick you up at eight?"

I couldn't keep the sulky tone out of my voice. "I can walk myself down the corridor."

Harry smirked. "See you there then."

I nodded, meeting his eyes for longer than I was comfortable with. It was difficult to look away, he just had this air about him that captured my attention.

Harry made no move to leave, lingering outside until I shut the door. Even then he took his time and I waited until I was sure he was gone before going back through to the kitchen to sit at the table. My textbooks and revision guides were stacked up in front of me but I knew there was no point in trying to study. Harry had gotten inside my head and there was no way I could focus.

It took me nearly an hour to realise that I should have turned down his offer. I had to go back to school the next day and the Christmas break had flown by. I still had so much work to do. But it was too late; there was no way I was giving Harry the satisfaction of watching me cancel on him. I could only imagine the kind of insults he would come up with if I told him that I wasn't going to the party because of homework. Instead I packed away my books and went into the bathroom to wash my hair. My own reflection caught my eye as I walked past the mirror and I groaned inwardly. Why had I opened the door to Harry looking like I had just rolled out of bed? I had mascara smudged under my eyes, a tuft of hair was sticking out of my pony tail and my skin was pale and pasty. Perfect.

Once I finished washing my hair, I wandered around the apartment in my dressing gown looking for the last remaining box of clothes that I hadn't unpacked. Eventually I found it stashed under the sink, by Jamie no doubt, but I still couldn't decide what to wear. How was I supposed to know what everyone else would be wearing? It was ironic that I was going to my first student party before I had even become a student. In the end I decided on a more casual look: skinny jeans, a strapless black lace top and my favourite leather jacket.

By eight o'clock I was ready to go, feeling less than confident but having given up on trying to improve my appearance. I hung around the apartment for another twenty minutes, washing up my plate and cup from lunch and putting the clothes into my new wardrobe to make sure that I wasn't the first to arrive. I paused by the mirror in the hallway on my way out to apply a little more rose-tinted lip-gloss and then finally left the apartment before I had a chance to change my mind.

When I got to apartment 105A, it was Harry who opened the door. He was only wearing jeans and a black t-shirt, giving me a better view of the tattoos that ran up his arms and across his chest, but he looked good. I didn't care what Jamie thought; Harry's tattoos suited him.

"I thought you were going to bail." Was the first thing he said to me. Charming.

"Well I didn't."

"You're late though." He added with a grin, leaning against the door frame and blocking my way.

"Stop messing around, are you going to let me in or not?" I asked, crossing my arms. His attitude was really beginning to irritate me.

He stepped aside so I enter Charlie's apartment. Music was blasting out from all directions and I could hear loud voices coming from different rooms. The apartment wasn't really that different from mine, except maybe a little more spacious.

I looked over my shoulder to see if Harry was following. He was still standing in the doorway and I caught him looking me up and down, his eyes slowly trailing from my face to my feet and half way up again.

"Subtle." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm, but I was flattered. Boys like Harry usually didn't look twice at me.

Harry just smirked at me, shrugging. "You look hot in those jeans."

I felt myself blushing, as much as I tried to fight it off, so I turned to walk down the hallway. I could hear Harry following close behind and immediately began to feel self conscious, sensing his eyes on me.

Charlie's apartment was packed with students, some hanging about smoking in doorways and others passing around bottles of vodka, and they each turned to look at me as I passed. I saw surprise register on more than one face when they noticed who I was with.

"Do you want a drink?" Harry asked me.

I nodded and he disappeared into the kitchen, past a couple of boys in hoodies.

I hovered awkwardly in the hall, waiting for him. I couldn't see anyone I recognised and there were several pairs of eyes fixed on me as I fidgeted, adjusting the hem of my lace top.

"Here." Harry said, emerging again with a plastic cup and a bottle of beer.

"Thanks." I replied, taking the cup from him.

Without saying another word, Harry strode down the hallway and pushed open the door at the end so I had no choice but to follow him. The room was larger than I expected but there were people everywhere, sprawled out on sofas and leaning against walls. I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw Katie, Lucas, Charlie and Talia in one corner.

"Hailey, Harry. Over here." Lucas called waving.

I saw Harry's expression darken but I ignored it and went over to sit down beside Lucas.

Harry lingered behind me, his hands on the back of my chair.

"Do you want a drink?" Lucas asked, holding up another bottle of something that looked and smelled much stronger than whatever Harry had given me.

"She's already got one." Harry snapped.

I glared at him, raising the cup to my lips and gulping the liquid down. "And now I want another one."

Lucas gave Harry a nervous glance when I held my cup out but when Harry didn't say anything, he filled my cup up again.

Talia was looking back and forth between Lucas, Harry and I with a slightly malicious smile on her face. Clearly she was more interested in our drama than her own boyfriend.

I looked away before I could start to get angry again. Whatever her problem was, it was exactly that. Her problem. Not mine. No one else seemed to mind me being there, in fact most of them soon forgot about me when they went back to their drinking games. Except for Lucas that is.

"How's everything going?" He asked with a smile.

"I finally finished unpacking this afternoon." I replied.

"Sounds like you had a fun weekend." Lucas grinned.

"Tell me about it." I groaned. "And I've got to go back to school tomorrow."

"Have you got a car yet?"

"No, I'm broke."

"Do you want me to drive you?" He offered.

Before I could answer, Harry scoffed behind us. "Are you going to carry her bag for her too?"

"Shut up Harry." I said, not even looking at him. He didn't deserve the satisfaction of seeing my furious expression. He had invited me to the stupid party in the first place and now he was just making it awkward.

"Thanks but it's probably out of your way." I said to Lucas.

"Well I'll give you my number and then you can call me if you need me."

I smiled and handed him my phone. At least he wasn't going to be difficult.

Charlie stumbled passed me, tripping over my feet and knocking into the coffee table. "Sorry." He slurred.

Harry shot him a warning stare but he didn't seem to notice.

"Here, have something to drink." He said, waving a bottle at me.

"Oh...I..." I knew I shouldn't. Going to school on the first day back with a hangover was not a good idea but Harry's eyes goaded me.

Charlie didn't give me a chance to decide anyway, sloshing some into my cup and spilling most of it on the floor which he promptly slipped on.

I shook my head; it was only nine o'clock and he could barely stand up.

Harry smirked at my reaction and I stuck my tongue out at him which just made him laugh. Sure I was being childish but he was getting on my nerves.

Before we could carry on with our immature exchanges, someone shouted Harry's name.

"Harry? Harry!"

A tall blonde with fake eyelashes and ridiculously high heels tottered across the wooden floor towards him.

Harry's smirk widened when he saw her but he was looking at me when he spoke. "Hey babe."

She completely ignored the rest of us and practically flung herself onto his lap, winding her arms around his neck. "Where have you been? It's been too long."

One of his arms wrapped around her waist but he was still looking at me. "Yeah. Way to long since we last hooked up."

_There go my chances,_ I thought. I should have known what Harry's type was; ditzy girls with personalities that were as fake as their smiles. Not that I was interested anyway, his mood swings were too much to tolerate.

Charlie staggered back over to us, giving the blonde girl a half-wave before collapsing in a chair beside Talia, another bottle in his hand.

"Maybe you should stop drinking now..." Lucas said.

Charlie wasn't listening; he had already turned his attention to kissing Talia.

"Oh well, I tried." Lucas said with a grin and Katie laughed.

"That was your best effort?"

"It's more than you did." He defended, elbowing his sister good-naturedly.

Watching them messing around made me miss Jamie. He was the only one in my family that I could be myself with and I still wasn't used to seeing him every day. Even when he moved out and got his own apartment with his girlfriend, he still came back to see me every day.

While Charlie was otherwise occupied, Harry switched his glass of WKD for one filled with whisky instead.

"That's mature." I said.

Harry scowled at me. "At least I know how to have fun."

Ten minutes later Talia got up to leave the room, turning back in the doorway to wink at Charlie. Charlie grinned and went after her. They disappeared into another room across the hall together and Harry raised an eyebrow, smirking.

"I thought you two were the ones doing that." He said to me, nodding towards Lucas.

The annoying blonde burst out laughing and Lucas went bright red avoiding eye contact with both of us.

I scowled at Harry. "Grow up."

Before he had a chance to make another comment I got up, standing on his foot accidently-on-purpose as I left the room. The last thing I heard was the blonde's high-pitched laugh.

The hallway was still crowded and the temperature in the apartment was rising as more and more people crammed in so I pushed my way back towards the door and out onto the walkway. It was a relief to be outside. The air was icy but my cheeks were still flaming with embarrassment. The London skyline was brightly lit and I could hear the faint rumble of traffic from the roads below as I leaned over the balcony. More than half an hour must have passed before I even noticed; I was so lost in my own thoughts. _He's just a stupid, bored teenager who has nothing better to do than wind me up and try to get under my skin..._

"Are you alright?"

I looked around to see Harry hanging around behind me with his hands shoved in his pockets.

I rolled my eyes. "What do you think? I walked out of my own house, moved in somewhere by myself where I don't know anyone else and now you're making everything ten times worse."

"Sorry."

I turned my head again sharply. I wasn't expecting that.

"Why did you tell Lucas about all that, but not me?" He asked, his eyes serious and a slight frown on his face.

"I never got a chance to tell you. Jamie interrupted us, remember?"

Harry nodded slowly, as if a whole new concept was just dawning on him. Then he looked up at me again. "Do you trust me?"

I almost laughed, but something in his eyes made me hold back a little. "No."

His expression changed in a split second and it was his turn to look away.

"I don't trust anyone except Jamie. If you let people in, they let you down."

Harry looked up again, a new smile breaking across his face. "Fair enough."

He stepped closer to me, his eyes boring into mine and I looked down, unable to meet or match the intense stare. I was so confused; keeping up with him was just like trying to play a football match and referee at the same time-pointless and frustrating.

The door to apartment 105A crashed open and Charlie staggered out grinning with his arm around Talia's shoulders. "What's this I hear about people chucking stuff on the roof?"

I shrugged but Harry pointed to the gutter above. It was filled with glass bottles and other assorted litter.

"I better go and get it, before that crazy old lady complains." He grinned, grabbing hold of the balcony pillar.

My heart stopped for a second. He wasn't serious. He wasn't really going to climb up onto the roof while completely intoxicated...was he?

Charlie was balancing on the railing, hanging on with just one hand while Talia laughed. By the distant hazy look in her eyes, I guessed that she was too drunk to think straight either.

"You're going to let him do that?" I shot Harry a horrified glance.

Harry shrugged. "He's always doing shit like that, even when he's sober."

When I looked back, Charlie had already pulled himself up onto the roof. My palms began to sweat as he swayed slightly.

"I can see the whooooole of London from here." He shouted, laughing like a manic.

I couldn't just stand there and say nothing, it was too dangerous. "Go and get him before he falls and breaks his neck!" I hissed at Harry.

"Why me?" He groaned.

"Because you're supposed to be his friend!"

Harry rolled his eyes but handed me his beer can. "Hold this then."

I bit my lip. How much had he had to drink?

My heart was in my mouth as Harry balanced on the narrow ledge and sprung up onto the roof, but he managed it with such ease that my breathing began to steady.

"Come on, get down." Harry said, pulling one of Charlie's arms over his shoulders to support him.

"What about the bottles and stuff?"

"Leave the bloody bottles." I heard Harry say and I smiled to myself, but I couldn't relax until they were both safely standing on the walkway again. Luckily for me, with Harry supporting him, it didn't take too long for either of them to get down.

"Happy now?" Harry said to me, raising an eyebrow.

I nodded with a smile.

"Take him inside." He said to Talia, who glared at him but to my relief she grabbed hold of Charlie's hand and led him inside.

"Are you coming back in? It's freezing out here." Harry asked.

I hesitated, looking back in the direction of my apartment. "I should go..."

Harry shook his head in disbelief. "You just got here and it's only ten o'clock."

"Yeah but I have to get up early tomorrow."

When I looked back at Harry this time, his eyes seemed to hold a challenge. "When was the last time you actually had some fun?"

I opened my mouth to speak but the problem was, I couldn't remember.

Harry smirked, satisfied. "Exactly."

"There's more to life than parties." I huffed.

"If you say so."

I crossed my arms. "So what do you suggest?"

"Just relax, get drunk and have fun." Harry said. "What's so complicated about that?"

"And what happens in the morning?"

Harry grinned. "You wait until it gets dark and then do it all over again."

I laughed in spite of myself. The more I thought about it, the more it sounded like a good idea. It had been ages since I had just let go and I was long overdue a wreckless, irresponsible teenage night out.

Harry was watching me with a mischievous smile. "Well?"

I held up my cup before I could change my mind. "Go on then."

The next three hours flew passed in a blur. Lucas and Katy went home, claiming they had a university lecture early in the morning, while Charlie and Talia disappeared again. The music inside the apartment got louder and louder but I stopped caring as Harry filled up my cup again and again. Then I stole Harry's whisky, which he didn't seem to mind, and that was when I really started to feel tipsy.

At one point I ended up on the floor when I stepped on a can that someone had left on the floor and slipped over. Everyone was laughing at me but for once I found it hilariously funny too and it was at least five minutes before I had calmed down enough to even try to get up.

Harry held out a hand to pull me up and I grabbed hold of it but I nearly ended up pulling him down on top of me as I stumbled backwards, banging my head on the table. I heard a couple of wolf whistles from a group on the other side of the room but I was way passed the point of caring what people thought about Harry and I.

"Owww." I complained, rubbing the back of my head.

Harry threw his head back, laughing out loud and I slapped his arm playfully.

"It's not funny!" I said, but I was still laughing too.

Harry helped me up with his hand under my elbow and tried to pull the whisky bottle out of my hand.

"Nooo!" I protested.

Harry grinned, yanking it out of my hand and holding it above his head so I couldn't reach. "You need to sit down."

I jumped up, my arms reaching up to grab it but as I landed my legs gave way. Luckily I collapsed into the chair behind me and not on the floor again.

"Told you." Harry smirked.

"Shush." I said. "Let's go outside, it's too hot in here."

Grabbing hold of his hand, I pulled him after me but I got the feeling that he would have followed anyway.

When we got outside I leaned over the balcony, looking out over the car park.

"Be careful." Harry said, keeping a tight grip on my hand.

I ignored him, pointing down to the row on the end. "Is that your car?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah."

"Can I see it?" I asked kicking my legs back and forth, hanging over the balcony.

"You want to see my car?"

"Yeah...my grandad had one of those...what do you call them?"

"Ford Capri's." Harry said and I could hear the amusement in his voice.

"Yeah that's it." I laughed, leaning over a bit further.

"Fine, just get down before you end up falling sixty feet." Harry said, pulling me backwards and I thought I could see a faint shadow of worry in his eyes.

I hopped down, staggering a bit. "Come on then Harold." I giggled.

"Don't fucking call me that." He growled but his eyes were bright and I could tell that he thought my drunken behaviour was cute.

My head was spinning as we walked down the flights of stairs that never seemed to end. Everything was becoming blurry and it was getting increasingly harder to walk in a straight line.

Harry was holding me up, and I felt his arm wind around my waist so I leant into his shoulder.

"You smell nice."

Harry smirked. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah." I trailed my fingers up his bare arm, admiring the tattoos.

"Do you like them?" He asked when he noticed.

I nodded. "They look hot."

Harry laughed. "I never thought I'd hear you admit that."

I was beginning to feel sick by the time we got to the bottom of the stairs and my mind was foggy. I could hear Harry talking to me, but my brain wouldn't focus on the words.

"Hailey?"

"What?"

"Never mind." Harry laughed.

"Where are we going again?"

"To my car."

"Oh yeah." I started to giggle hysterically and Harry looked at me like I was crazy.

"Sss...sorry." I tried, but I couldn't stop.

Harry just shook his head and opened the door for me, letting me go first but with his arm still around my waist to support me.

When we reached the other side of the car park, Harry pulled his keys out of his back pocket.

"Do you want to go for a drive?" He asked, unlocking the car.

"No, you'll crash or get arrested." I said. Thankfully part of my brain was still working enough for me to realise it was a bad idea for Harry to drive, but I got in the car anyway because it was warmer than standing outside.

"I'm not drunk."

"You're not sober either."

"Whatever. Uh crap." Harry said he got into the car too and banged his head on the roof.

I burst out laughing again. The sight was just so comical, even though he looked like a movie star behind the wheel of the sleek black Capri.

Harry rolled his eyes and started the engine so he could turn the heater on.

I sat back, leaning my head against the headrest of the black leather seat. Memories of the last few months filtered back into my mind as I let my guard down but I pushed them away. "You know what?"

"What?" Harry asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

"I don't even want to go to uni. Maybe I'll go and travel the world instead."

"Oh yeah? Where are you going to go?"

"Hmmm..." I tried to think, but all of a sudden it was like all of the names of places I wanted to go were hiding under the fog in my mind. "Manchester?"

Harry erupted into a fit of laughter. "That's your idea of travelling the world?"

At the time, I couldn't understand why he found it so funny. "Maybe."

After a few moments of silence, I turned to Harry. "You're different."

He raised an eyebrow. "How'd you mean?"

"I don't know. But you're alright when you're not acting like a jerk."

He looked surprised, but a slow smile spread across his face. "I thought you didn't like me."

"Things change." I said, moving closer so that I was leaning over the gear box onto the driver's side. "Tonight was fun."

"I told you it would be." He said, a cheeky grin on his face with his tongue between his teeth.

It struck me how different Harry was when it was just the two of us. He was still guarded but I liked the way he was around me. "We should do this more often."

Harry's voice dropped an octave and he leaned closer. "Yeah we should."

I felt my cheeks flushing under his gaze and I became far more conscious of my heart thumping in my chest. His eyes were so bright, even in the dim light, and when he ran a hand through his hair I felt my breathing hitch in my chest.

Harry's hand moved up to my face, his fingers brushing across my cheek bone and he was so close that I could smell his expensive cologne again along with the faint whiff of whisky.

I knew where this was bound to go, but for once I didn't care. I wanted a distraction from the rest of my life but it was more than that. He was more than that.


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Note: Hi everyone! I hope you are enjoying my story so far, I know nothing much has happened between Hailey and Harry yet but it will build up, I promise. I'm sorry it took so long for me to update, it's been a crazy couple of weeks! The song for this chapter is "I'm Into You" by Jennifer Lopez. Enjoy, and don't forget to comment and vote J

**Chapter 3: Four-Leaf Clover**

_The next morning..._

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the throbbing in my temples. The bright sun streaming in all around me only made the pain worse and I screwed up my eyes against the harsh light. My mouth was drier than the Sahara Desert during a drought and I felt physically drained, as if I hadn't slept for a week. Actually, I felt like death. In fact, I felt so bad that I failed to notice my surroundings.

It was only when I heard someone move less than a meter away from me that I came to my senses, sitting up abruptly. I was still in Harry's car and he was right there beside me in the driver's seat, fast asleep. My heart started to pound. What had happened the night before? I could barely remember anything after Charlie climbed up on the roof. My gaze fell on my watch. It was 8:20 already!

"Harry." I hissed.

His arms were crossed tightly in front of his chest and he shifted slightly, kicking one foot out in front of him.

"Harry!" I tried again.

"Wha?" He mumbled, his voice heavy with sleep.

"Get up!" I kicked his leg.

"Leave me alone." He whined turning away from me, but I saw his eyes open slowly and he blinked a couple of times.

"Harry please."

He sat up, running a hand through his hair which was even more of a mess than usual but he still managed to pull it off, looking more irresistible than ever. He turned back to me. Recognition registered in his eyes and a smile spread across his face. "Morning gorgeous."

I was already panicking too much to pay attention. There was twenty five minutes until I needed to be at school, I had no time to have a shower and who knew where my homework was. It was a terrible start to my first day back, but first I needed to work out what was going on. "What happened last night?"

"How much do you remember?" Harry grinned.

"It's hazy."

"You wanted to see my car and then we ended up crashing here after..." Harry looked at me, a devious smile on his face.

"After what?" My words caught in my throat in anticipation.

"After you told me I smelled nice and that my tattoos are hot."

I cursed under my breath. Why did I have to go and inflate his already swollen ego? "Yeah well that was the drink talking."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Positive."

There was a long silence as I tried to work up the courage to ask the question that I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to. "We didn't...did we?"

Harry changed in an instant. His eyes darkened, his expression became thunderous and his tone was no longer teasing. "Relax, nothing happened. Luckily for you I was still sober enough to realise that you'd kill me if I let you do something you would regret. You don't need to look so fucking frightened."

I rolled my eyes. "It's not personal Harry."

"Sure." He muttered.

"I don't have time for this. I need to get to school. I should never have let you talk me into going to that party." I pulled my shoes on, without stopping to think about how thoughtful it was of Harry to have taken them off for me the night before.

"Oh so now it's my fault?" He challenged.

"Yes! Yes of course it's your fault!"

"I never forced you to come, you could have said no."

He had a point, but I wasn't going to tell him that. "You're so annoying."

"That's not what you said last night."

I stopped short. "You said nothing happened."

"Nothing "happened"." Harry spat. "But you wanted it to."

I felt my mouth drop open. He was so cocky. "You just keep telling yourself that."

"Oh come on, you were practically on my lap."

"I was not! You're such a...such a..."

"Such a what?"

I bit my tongue. There was no way I was going to let him goad me into losing it.

Harry just rolled his eyes, shaking his head. "Unbelievable." I heard him mutter.

"Whatever, I need to go." I said, flinging open the car door, jumping out and half running for the stairs. 8:30. Twenty minutes to go.

"Let me drive you." Harry called, winding the driver's window down and leaning out.

"No."

"There's no way you'll get there in time if you get the bus."

I stopped, half way between the door to the stairwell and Harry's car. He was right, but I really didn't want to owe him anything.

Harry rolled his eyes. "Just get in the damn car."

"What about my clothes? I need to change." I conceded.

"You look better than anyone else will, just leave it."

Something in the back of my mind processed his back-handed compliment but there was no time to think about it. Thankfully I had worn something appropriate enough to wear to school. As for my books and homework, the teachers would just have to wait.

"Are you coming or not?"

I stomped back over to the car and got in, refusing to look at Harry. I kept up the silence for as long as I could, during the whole time that he pulled out of the car park, drove down the road and onto the motorway. I kept my eyes firmly focused on the view outside the window; it was a surprisingly beautiful day for early January.

After ten minutes I spoke, purely because I was becoming frustrated with Harry's sideways glances at me every five seconds.

"What happened to that blonde anyway?"

Harry didn't look at me but his grip tightened on the wheel.

"What blonde?"

"The one that was all over you."

Harry smirked, his expression changing and his eyes lighting up again as I paid him attention. "She's just a friend."

"With benefits?"

"Maybe a long time ago." He glanced at me. "Why?"

"No reason."

"You're jealous."

"No I'm not."

"Yes you are." Harry's smirk was widening as he kept his eyes on the road, a satisfied smile on his face.

"Oh shut up." I snapped.

Harry's expression hardened. "Don't tell me to shut up, who do you think you're talking to?"

I took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of my nose and trying to control my temper. "I just don't want to fight."

"Good luck with that."

"I wouldn't bet on my chances." I muttered, half to myself. "I haven't had the best luck recently."

Harry pulled into the last remaining parking space in the school car park. There were crowds of people streaming into the main building as the bell rang.

"I gave you a lift didn't I? You would never have got here otherwise."

"Yeah but I wish you hadn't bothered."

"So do I."

Glaring at him, I got out of the car and slammed the door behind me.

"If you scratch my car, you're going to pay for it." He shouted after me.

I rolled my eyes. Such a gentleman. Of course he would be more concerned about his car than my bruised feelings. Then again, I hadn't actually given his feelings much thought either.

I caught sight of my friends Heather, Flynn and Tommy waiting for me beside the gym and waved as I dashed over to meet them. Heather was pacing back and forth, a frown on her face while Tommy and Flynn sat on the wall in front on the building.

"Hailey." I heard Harry call my name behind me and cursed under my breath. Why couldn't he just stay in the car?

He was standing halfway between me and the car, his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. "Aren't you going to introduce me?"

When I shot him a glare that clearly said "never in a million years" he laughed.

"I guess not. Do you want me to pick you up?"

"No." I said through gritted teeth. "I'll get the bus."

"Enjoy walking back in the rain then."

"I don't think that's going to happen." I said confidently and it was my turn to smile as I looked up at the sky, a clear topaz blue.

Harry just shrugged and without another word he walked back to his car, started the engine and drove over with a screech of the wheels on the tarmac.

When I turned back to my friends, Heather's mouth was wide open in surprise. "Who is that and why didn't you think to tell me about him?"

"That's Harry."

"And..." They were all waiting for a better explanation.

"I met him the day I moved into my new apartment. I didn't mention him because there was nothing to tell."

"Then why are you so late?" She challenged. "We've already missed registration."

Flynn nudged me with a cheeky grin. "Yeah, what happened to Miss Punctuality?"

"I'm allowed to be late once in a while, what's the big deal anyway? I woke up late." I replied rolling my eyes, being careful to miss out the part about where I woke up.

Heather was looking at me as if I had grown two heads. "It is a big deal! We've got exams in four months!"

"Calm down, we haven't missed any work yet." I snapped.

There was an awkward silence and I felt guilty. Arguing with Harry had already began to change the way I dealt with people and quite frankly he had used up all of my patience.

I fell into step beside Tommy as we walked to the maths building. I hadn't seen him since before the end of last term since he had gone skiing with his family and he was the only one that hadn't judged me yet.

He smiled at me hesitantly. "How was your Christmas?"

I shrugged. "Better than last year, I went to Jamie's for dinner instead. What about you?"

"It was weird to be away from home but it was a great holiday."

"I've always wanted to go skiing, I asked my parents if..." I stopped mid-sentence as we walked into the classroom behind Flynn and Heather and everyone turned around to stare at us.

Thankfully the teacher, Mr Forman, didn't comment and just told us to take our seats. He was a new teacher, having started in September, and he was already the subject of gossip around the school. With his good looks, and being the only teacher under 30, most of the girls were desperate to be in his class.

The minute I said down in my usual place next to Heather, I remembered my books and homework that were still on the kitchen table back at the apartment.

_My apartment,_ I mentally corrected myself.

I was ruining my reputation, but there was no point in dwelling on it so I stuck my hand in the air and waited for Mr Forman to notice.

"Yes Hailey?"

"I don't have my homework, or any of my books." I said, adding an apologetic smile.

"Why not?" He asked.

"I stayed with a friend last night and then I woke up late so I didn't have time to go home. I didn't want to be any later." I tried to sound as innocent as possible. Technically it wasn't a lie, although I wasn't sure if Harry qualified as a friend.

Mr Forman smiled, raising an eyebrow. "Do you think I can't see right through that act?"

"What act?" I said, but I couldn't keep a straight face.

Mr Forman just shook his head, smiling. "Get some paper from the cupboard and hand in your homework first thing tomorrow."

I felt everyone's eyes on me as I walked to the cupboard at the front of the class. When I turned around to go back to my seat Heather was shaking her head, while Flynn just looked highly amused by the situation. Tommy kept his eyes on his work.

I hadn't even sat down before Heather started questioning me again.

"What does Jamie think?"

"About what?"

"Your new apartment."

"He's fine with it. He knows I can't stay with my parents anymore and of course he's worried about me, but he's always there if I need anything."

"Are you sure you're ready to be living on your own?"

"Of course I am, I've been looking after myself for the last five years anyway."

She didn't look convinced, but thankfully she dropped the subject and left me alone to think about everything that had happened in the last twenty-four hours.

By the end of the day Harry's prediction had come true and it was pouring with rain. My head was pounding, my eyelids were so heavy that they kept dropping shut and the awful weather was the last thing I needed.

But when I walked out of the main building alone into the rain, the familiar sleek black Ford Capri was waiting in the same space that it had parked it that morning. Behind the wheel sat Harry, his eyes following me all the way across the car park, wearing a red checked shirt that was unbuttoned halfway down his chest, showing off his swallow tattoos. This time, I realised with a breath of relief, he was staying in the car.

"I thought I told you I would get the bus." I said as I pulled the car door open and got in.

"Yeah and you also thought it wouldn't rain." He retorted, reversing backwards before I could even close the door. "Do I get a thank you?"

"Thank you." I muttered, refusing to look at him.

He turned to me and grinned, pulling something out of his pocket which was concealed in his hand. "I got you something."

I held out my own hand and he uncurled his fingers, letting something tiny and green drop into my palm.

"What the hell is that?" I asked, turning it over and flattening it out.

"A four-leaf clover. I found it when I was a kid." He shrugged.

"And you kept it?" I said, even though I understood exactly why he kept it. As much as I tried not to, I couldn't help but believe in all the traditional superstitions and good luck charms. A four-leaf clover seemed like a pretty powerful symbol to me.

"Why wouldn't I?"

There was a silence when I couldn't think of a witty enough comment, but I tucked the clover into my pocket.

"I'm still mad at you." I said in the end, but I wasn't. It was sweet of him to remember what I had said about my bad luck hours earlier, and he could have left me to make my own way home in the rain.

But he had to go and ruin it.

"_You're_ mad at _me_? You're the one acting like a bitch." He said, his expression darkening.

I felt my anger from earlier bubbling to the surface again. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"I am not! You're the one who wouldn't stay in the car this morning. Do you have any idea how difficult that was to explain?"

"Why didn't you just tell them the truth? Nothing happened."

"I did tell them the truth but they still wouldn't stop asking questions!"

"So what? I don't care what they think of me."

"I know that, but I care what they think of me!"

"Oh so that's what this is about? Just because I'm not some perfect clean-cut university graduate you don't want to be seen with me." His voice was getting dangerously low and his darkening eyes focused on me.

"This isn't about you! It's not about the tattoos or the fact that you're a university dropout or even the attitude. It's about me! I didn't want them thinking I was sleeping around." I yelled. "And keep your eyes on the road!"

"I know how to drive." He snapped, but he seemed marginally calmer than before. Maybe what I was saying had finally got through to him.

We were nearly back at my apartment block but I was still fuming. There were things I still wanted to say, things that I needed to get out of my system, and yes I was probably taking it out on Harry but I couldn't help it.

"Why does everyone always overreaction to everything? Why do they always read so much into what I say?"

"I have a feeling we're not talking about me anymore." His expression had gone back to neutral again and I could just about hear how much steadier his breathing had become.

I carried on regardless. "Maybe I don't even care what people think anymore, I don't care if they judge me, but you don't need to keep shouting at me every five minutes!"

"You're the one shouting." He said as he parked the car.

I flung the door open and stepped out, straight into an ankle deep puddle of murky water. "Oh that's just fantastic."

Harry started laughing from inside the car and that was the last straw.

"Just stay away from me. I never want to see you again." I shouted, slamming the door and marching off across the car park, for once completely oblivious to the pouring rain which was making my hair go frizzy.

When I reached my apartment, after hiking up the never-ending flights of stairs to burn off my anger, I jammed the key into the lock so hard that I nearly bent it. The apartment was freezing cold, the arctic blast hitting me as I walked into the hallway. Of course I'd forgotten to leave the heating on the night before, the one time I needed it most.

I ended up leaving the door open because the smell of damp was too overpowering to bear and it was colder inside than out anyway. Instead I stomped into the living room and flopped down on the sofa, closing my eyes. What a day. Everything that could go wrong had done, and I was exhausted.

My eyes flew open as I heard a crash in the hallway. Leaping to my feet, I was up just in time to see Harry bulldoze his way into my living room with an indescribable expression plastered on his face.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay away from me." I said, but I could hear that the anger in my tone was much fainter than before.

"Yeah well I figured it's now or never." He said, stepping towards me.

"What..." I started, but Harry was too quick.

He pushed me backwards with one hand so that my back made contact with the wall, the other hand on my waist, and before I could react he crashed his lips into mine. It wasn't gentle, not at all how I usually expected a first kiss with someone to be, but it was as close to perfect as I was ever going to get.

When my mind caught up with my body and I realised what was happening, I froze. Then I shoved him backwards, hard, with my palms against his chest but he barely moved.

"No. This isn't happening." I insisted. "You can't just come barging into my apartment and..."

I could hear my heart beating a thousand times faster than usual and the blood pumping in my ears.

He drew back for a second, a hand pressed against the wall on either side of my face so that I couldn't move away from him. "So you want me to stop?"

I bit my lip. Of course I didn't want him to stop, but my mind was fuzzy and confused. Harry made me feel different and I didn't know how to react to him.

He was looking at me, waiting for a response.

The minute I looked into his eyes it was over. I shook my head and he smirked.

"Didn't think so." He murmured, his voice low and husky.

This time when his lips meet mine again I didn't resist. My hands moved upwards and under the collar of his shirt, over the top of his shoulders and down his back, closing the rest of the gap between us. Then my arms locked around his neck, his fingers digging into my hips but then, without warning, he broke away.

"Tell me you want this. Tell me or I'll stop." He said, lifting my chin with his thumb and forcing me to meet his gaze.

I bit my lip. If I said it, he would never let it go.

"You know what, never mind." He breathed, pulling me back towards him and his hands raked through the damp hair on either side of my face.

I smiled into his mouth as I noticed the effect that I apparently had on him. It was so nice to feel wanted for once.

That one perfect moment was shattered when I heard Jamie's furious voice just meters away from us, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

"If you don't get away from her within five seconds..."

I felt my cheeks flame red as I slipped out from between Harry and the wall. If a hole had opened up in the ground and swallowed me up, I wouldn't have complained. "Jamie..."

He ignored me, his gaze locked on Harry. "I said, move."

"Ever heard of knocking?" Harry retorted and the irritation at Jamie's interruption was evident on his face.

If I hadn't been so embarrassed I would have laughed. Harry's comment was ironic. Only a few minutes earlier he had been the one who had practically broken in without knocking.

Jamie clenched his fists and when he spoke again his words were forced out through gritted teeth. "Get. Out."

"No."

Before Jamie could explode, I interrupted. "What are you doing here?"

"Heather called me." He said, still focused on Harry. "She said she was worried about you."

This time it was my turn to be angry. She was worried...seriously? She wasn't worried, she was jealous and she just wanted to find out what was going on.

"What are you doing here, with him?" Jamie demanded.

"It's nothing to do with you." Harry growled before I had a chance to reply.

"It's everything to do with me..." Jamie's started.

"Please just leave it." I interrupted. "I don't want to talk about this now. I haven't even had a chance to figure things out yet." I turned back to Harry. "Why did you come back?"

"Because I'm into you."

Jamie laughed darkly. "Yeah and we all know what that means."

When Harry didn't response I only felt more confused. Was Jamie right? Was Harry just using me? "I think you should go."

Harry stopped, his eyes focusing on me for a second. "Do you mean that?"

"Yes." I said firmly. No matter how I felt about him, I needed time to think it through. An emotion that I couldn't quite decipher flashed across Harry's face. For a moment I thought it was hurt, but it was gone too quickly. No, of course not. It was anger because he wasn't getting his own way.

"It was a mistake anyway." He said as he swung around and stormed out of the apartment.

My heart sank as the door slammed behind him. All the fight drained out of me and I struggled to remain composed.

"Come here." Jamie said, his face softening and his arms outstretched.

As I stepped towards him, I burst into tears. It wasn't just Harry, it was everything, but the crushing force of his rejection had shattered my facade.

"Ssh, don't cry. Everything's going to be okay." Jamie whispered holding me tight.

I wished I could believe him. Just when I thought things might get better. Maybe that four-leaf clover wasn't as powerful as I thought.


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Note: Hi again, the song for this chapter is "Teenage Dirtbag" by Wheatus/1D, enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Don't.**

_A week later..._

It was too late. No matter how much I tried to distract myself, I was left with the overwhelming sense that it was too late. Within the space of two weeks I had fallen for Harry and it was crazy but as much as it felt wrong, it had never felt more right. I didn't want it to feel right. He was a bad influence on me and anyway, he said that what we did was a mistake. The situation was simple. He was bored, I was a challenge. That was all there was to it. There was nothing more between us, at least where he was concerned. There was nothing I could do to change that depressing fact but I still spent most of the following weekend moping.

It wasn't until Sunday evening when I came back from the corner shop, red faced and exhausted from carrying all the shopping bags up the stairs, that I saw anyone. I nearly made it back into the safety of my apartment but Katie came out at the same time as I reached my own door.

"Oh, hi Hailey." She said with a bright smile.

"Hi." I said, but I couldn't quite match her friendly greeting.

"Harry was looking for you, he..." She started.

"I don't want to see him." I blurted out a little too quickly.

Katie looked taken aback. "Oh. Ok. I won't tell him that I ran into you then."

"Thank you." I said with a grateful smile.

She tipped her head to the side. "What has he done this time?"

_This time. _ So I was right. This kind of situation was a regular occurrence for Harry and I meant nothing to him.

"It's a long story." I said, shaking my head. "I don't want to bore you."

Katie nodded, accepting my attempt at an explanation. "Do you want to come in? Lucas and I were going to watch a film..."

By the way she trailed off I could tell that she wasn't inviting me out of pity, but on Lucas' behalf.

She smiled. "I know he can be a bit...enthusiastic...but you should give him a chance."

I nodded. I completely agreed. If I knew what was good for me, I would have forgotten about Harry and spent my time with Lucas instead. It was him, and Katie, who had made me feel more at home in my new apartment block. At least I knew that I had someone to rely on if I was ever in trouble.

"So..." Katie said, smiling as she noticed that my resolve was weakening.

I hesitated. Going around to Lucas' meant the risk of bumping into Harry and I wasn't ready to face him, but if I was going to fit in then I would have to start making more of an effort with my new neighbours. "Sure, I'd love to."

Katie's face broke into another smile. "You put your shopping away while I go and get the popcorn."

As I went back into my apartment, I felt my spirits lifting. Harry might not care about me but there were plenty of people who did.

When I had finished unpacking the bags and shoving the contents into random kitchen cupboards Katie still wasn't back so I went next door to ring the bell. Lucas opened the door a few minutes later and I noticed the surprise on his face when he recognised me. Was he really that sure that I wasn't interested?

He was in his pyjamas, hair sticking up all over the place, and he looked embarrassed, shifting from foot to foot, but he shouldn't have worried because the look was endearing.

"Hi...um...Katie invited me over. She said you were going to watch a film, but I can come back later if this isn't a good time."

"No, no, it's fine." Lucas said, his face breaking into his signature grin which made me feel instantly at ease. He held up the two DVD boxes in his hand. "What do you think, action or comedy?"

I smiled. "Ooh, tough choice."

Lucas let me into the apartment and Katie arrived back with a big box of popcorn and a tube of Pringles ten minutes later. Once they switched the film on, I relaxed. A good film, plenty of food and friends, what was not to like?

My phone rang halfway through and I pulled it out of my pocket quickly, muttering apologies to Lucas and Katie. When I saw who was calling, my positive attitude evaporated. It was Heather and I didn't want to speak to her. If she had gone running to my brother to get a reaction then she wasn't the friend I thought she was.

"You can take that, we don't mind." Katie offered.

"It's not important." I replied, rejecting the call, but I couldn't focus my mind on the film after that. I was still furious with her. She was supposed to support me.

My phone rang again and I sighed, getting up. Heather obviously wasn't going to give in. As I walked into the hallway I jabbed the "accept" button without looking at the caller ID.

"What do you want Heather?"

"Hailey?"

The voice on the other end wasn't the one that I was expecting.

"Hailey, are you there?"

It was my Mum, and I hadn't spoken to her in four weeks.

"Hello?"

My finger hovered over "end call".

"Please, don't hang up. Just hear me out."

I stayed silent.

"I want you to come home. It's not right; I don't want you living by yourself. You're not ready for this, you're only seventeen. Come home and I promise I'll make it up to you."

"I'm not coming home while Callum is there."

"Don't be like that. All he's ever done is try to be nice to you."

Her betrayal stung, but I stayed strong. "You know that's not true."

There was a long pause.

"He's not like that anymore."

I bit my lip to stop the tears from spilling from my eyes. "What's changed in four weeks?"

There was another pause. I knew she had no answer to that so I took a deep breath, squeezing my eyes shut as I prepared to say what I had needed to say for so long. "Mum, I'm never coming back home. I will never feel safe in that house again, especially not while Callum is living there too. And it's not just about him. It's about you. I can't forgive you for what you did to Dad and for choosing Callum over your own daughter. Don't call me again."

Then I hung up.

Just thinking about what happened sent shivers down my spine. When he...no. I couldn't go through that process again, the process of going over it all again and again until I drove myself mad.

Taking another deep breath, I walked back into the living room and sat down beside Lucas again. Even after twenty minutes though, I still couldn't get rid of that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

After a while I noticed that Lucas' eyes were on me. When I turned to look at him, he gave me a soft smile.

"Are you okay?" He murmured.

I nodded but the tears were welling up again.

Without saying a word, Lucas put an arm around my shoulders. I leaned into him. He was exactly what I needed; no questions, no drama, just someone to be there. All Harry was, was a distraction.

The front door bell rang and Lucas reluctantly got up because he was closest to the door. I stayed on the sofa with my head leant against the wall. My eyes were on the TV screen but I wasn't really paying attention.

"She doesn't want to see you..." Lucas' raised voice floated in from the hallway.

I froze. Could my Mum really have got here that quickly? No, she didn't know where I was living, and anyway I hadn't told Lucas about her. That meant...my heart sunk. It was Harry.

"Just leave her alone." I heard Lucas say.

Then there was a crash and images of Harry kicking their door in filled my mind so I jumped up and ran into the hallway with Katie following close behind.

Harry was standing there, fists clenched and a furious expression on his face. "If I want to see her then I'll damn well see her..." He was saying.

They both turned around to look at me. Lucas' eyes were full of sympathy and apology but I couldn't quite read the expression on Harry's face. Was it relief?

"I told him not to come here..." Lucas started.

"It's got nothing to do with you, she doesn't know what she wants right now." Harry growled, advancing on Lucas.

"Excuse me, "she" can speak for herself." I said, finding my voice.

"Sorry Hailey." Lucas said.

"Sorry Hailey." Harry mimicked, mocking him.

I shot him a frustrated glare. Why did he always have to pick on Lucas when all Lucas did was try to help?

"Come on Lucas, leave them to it." Katie said, her eyes pleading. She must have been able to sense, maybe even more than I could, that it wouldn't take much to push Harry over the edge.

Lucas looked to me for confirmation.

I managed a smile, to show him that I would be alright. "Go, I'll be fine."

Lucas still looked reluctant but thankfully, for his sake, he followed Katie back into the living room.

I turned slowly back to face Harry, unwilling to face the full force of those green eyes.

Wearing a bandana that only he could pull off, he looked like he had just walked out of a menswear fashion shoot and he didn't even know it. But the effortless look that was so attractive at first was beginning to annoy me and my frustration with him increased. Was there anything he was bothered about?

"We need to talk." He said, his jaw clenching and unclenching.

"No we don't." I replied, refusing to meet his eyes because he had a habit of dissolving my resolve quicker than I could blink. "You said that the kiss was a mistake, so what is there to talk about?"

"You know I didn't mean that." Harry's tone softened.

My mouth dropped open in disbelief. "No, I don't know. You walked out on me, what was I supposed to think?"

"You told me to go."

He had a point, but I was just trying to test him; I wanted to see that he cared enough to stay, which clearly he didn't.

"Have you been crying?" Harry stepped closer to me, raising a hand to brush my cheek with his thumb.

I batted his hand away from my face. "Don't."

"I didn't mean to upset you."

When I looked up at him, he was pinching his lip between his thumb and forefinger and for once he actually looked genuinely concerned.

"This isn't about you." I said and it was true. My dropping mood wasn't about him anymore. Harry was irrelevant, he had only been in my life for a few weeks and soon he would leave again. But I could never escape from family.

"Tell me what's wrong then."

"No." To avoid looking into his eyes, I kept my gaze fixed on his chest but that didn't help either. Wearing a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and half of the buttons undone, he was still too much of a distraction. I turned to go but he caught hold of my wrist.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"To get my phone and say goodbye to Katie and Lucas. Then I'm going to Jamie's." I said, as calmly as I could manage.

"I'll drive you."

"No Harry, you don't need to do that."

"Yeah but I want to."

I tried to yank my arm out of his grip but he wouldn't let go.

"You don't even have to talk to me, just let me help."

His eyes were so soft and full of concern that I had to give in. I wasn't in the mood to get the bus all the way to Jamie's in the rain anyway.

"Fine."

A hint of a smile appeared on his face. "I'll wait for you in the car."

I nodded, going back into the living room with my mind whirling. It was all too much. I couldn't deal with Harry and my dysfunctional family at the same time. I thought that leaving home would solve my problems but it had just added to them. Most of the time Harry just messed with my head but some of the time it felt like I could actually rely on him, and that was dangerous. The day I started relying on anyone but myself was the day that everything fell apart before.

I muttered a few hurried goodbyes to Lucas and Katie, still embarrassed by Harry's attitude towards them, and left their apartment in a rush. It wasn't my fault, but I had caused the situation by avoiding Harry.

I took a deep breath of cold, crisp fresh air as I stepped out of the door at the bottom of the stairs and walked across the car park. The sooner I got to Jamie's the sooner I would be able to stop hiding how I was feeling. But even he didn't know the full story.

Harry got out of the car and opened the door for me when I got close. He studied my face carefully for a few seconds before choosing not to say anything and I was relieved. If we could just get through the thirty minute journey without arguing then I could cope.

Harry handed me the Sat-Nav and I typed in Jamie's address. Even as he pulled out of the car park and took a left onto the motorway he still didn't speak, keeping to his word.

I watched him out of the corner of my eye. He had put sunglasses on, even though the sky was still a thunderous grey, and every so often his fingers twisted around the long chain with a dog tag on the end that he wore around his neck.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer." Harry said.

I bit my lip to stop myself from laughing. Some of the time it was such a struggle to stay serious around Harry. "You're so cocky."

"I made you smile though." He said, turning his head to look at me, his eyes twinkling mischievously. "Didn't I?"

I looked away, blushing. "Maybe."

Harry laughed, focusing on the road again as the traffic moved forward. "Have you forgiven me yet?"

"Maybe." I repeated, but I was beginning to give in. After all, I couldn't count the number of times I had blurted out something I didn't mean. If we could just keeping going as we were, laughing and joking, then maybe we could at least be friends.

But it didn't last.

"Are you sure you don't want to talk?" Harry asked, giving me a sideways glance.

"About what?"

"Whatever you were crying about."

"I wasn't crying."

Harry's grip tightened on the wheel as he tensed up. "It didn't look like that from where I was standing."

"Why does it even matter to you?"

"Because I care."

This time it was my turn to tense up. "Stop it. Just stop playing me."

"Is that what you think I'm doing?"

"I know that's what you're doing. I'm not like those other girls Harry, you can't just kiss me once and trick me into thinking you actually like me." I felt tears filling my eyes for the third time that day. Fantastic. He would think I was crying over him, again.

"If you think that, then where does that leave us?" Harry asked, meeting my eyes for a split second.

I tore my eyes away from his, focusing on the road in front of us as we neared Jamie's.

"There is no us. I've got enough going on in my life right now without you complicating everything. So please, just leave me alone."

Harry brought the car to an abrupt stop a few roads away from Jamie's apartment and switched of the engine. "Why won't you just give me a chance? You don't even really know me."

"I know your type."

I expected him to explode but it was hurt, not anger that flashed across his face. He sat back against the seat, visibly deflating.

"I'm sorry." I said softly. "But this is never going to work."

My hand found the door handle but he stopped me.

"Wait." Harry snatched my phone from my hand and before I could react, he added his number to my contacts. "Call me if you need anything, and I mean anything."

I nodded, although doubting that calling him would ever help any situation.

He gave the phone back to me, his hand lingering for a second as his fingers brushed mine. His face was close to mine, too close, and he leaned in further as if he was about to kiss me.

"Don't." I murmured and my hand found the door handle again. The door fell open and as the bitter winter wind blew into the car, Harry drew back sharply.

I felt my face flame red again as I got out and started to walk down the road. I felt awful; he had been so different and I had knocked him back. Although my head told me that he had treated me much worse, that he maybe even deserved it, my heart thought differently. And my heart was winning the argument.

"Harry..." I called, spinning around to run back to the car. But he was already gone.


End file.
